Sunday, February 16, 2014

Houston, TX – Say hello to the city’s newest
addition to the poetic art scene! The Tintero Collective proudly presents
something for “la communidad” – a hybrid reading series that changes every
month;a featured poet reading, an open
mic night, a performance art experience, a poetry Q & A session, etc.,
etc.The most important feature is that
this reading is BILINGUAL; Spanish, English, Spanglish – all are welcome.In the proud tradition of the former Nuestra
Palabra Literary Showcase, the Tintero Readings plans to fill the void and
build the voice of bilingual poets in the city who need a place to read, a
place to express and a place to explore writing.The first ever reading will take place at Talento
Bilingüe de Houston on Februrary 26th, from 7:30 – 10:00pm, and
continue monthly, every fourth Wednesday of the month, under a new focus. The
Tintero Collective (organizers of the Tintero Readings) plan to keep the readings
relevant and open to the public.

Literary Beginnings
Nuestra Palabra alumni – poet and activist, Lupe Méndez saw the need for such
an event and put out an all call to which several other artists answered. Among
the writers/poets/activists that make this event work include poet and world
traveled BBoy- Marlon Lizama, activist and poet- Dee!colonize, translator and
poet-John Pluecker, poet and professor-
Stalina Villarreal and artist, producer and graphic designer Marc-Antony Piñón.
Together they will provide a space and opportunity for writers to share their
work and their message.The work has
already begun in more than one way.

Aside from producing a monthly bilingual
reading series, the poets are using their skills to give back to community. In
addition to working with Talento Bilingüe de Houston to put on the readings,
several of the poets are working with Neighborhood Centers Inc., specifically
the newly established Leonel Castillo Community Center. Poets Marlon Lizama and
Lupe Méndez are already working with students from Jeff Davis High School(not far from the center, down Quitman) and
college students from University of Houston-Downtown in poetry workshops
designed to spark new work, while at the same time open up dialogue to different
types of poems and poetry. “The work is timeless and necessary,” says Shannon
Wight, one of the creative writing teachers at Davis High School,“ this is
amazing work. This is what the students need. I attended the first workshop and
am highly impressed with the level of professionalism in the presented by the
poets, presenting work ranging from lyrics from rappers such as Slick Rick to
celebrated poets like Lucille Clifton. This makes the kids think and they
write.” Adding to the positive support is Castillo Community Center Director
Jose Rivera- “ It is remarkable work, and having it at the Castillo Center is
fitting, they need another environment to create great writing. We want to
support the Tinteros as they produce something so important for our youth. They
can have the space and write from here.”

In the end, the Tintero Reading Series and
the Tintero Writing Workshops have been established to help support the “Latino
Literary Renassanuce” started by Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their
Say.Poet Lupe Mendez says “we want to
see to it that when NP goes live on the radio at KPFT, that in the near future,
it can be the words of Houston’s newest poets people will hear. I want to
ensure that there is a literary legacy coming from our communities, from the
North Side to the East End of Houston, there are voices that need to heard and
voices we can show the public, in the workshops and in the readings. I want to
establish a pathway to support writers, even if they don’t know they are
writers yet.”

Tintero Readings Kick-Off
The first night of the Tintero Readings happens in Houston’s oldest Hispanic
theatre- Talento Bilingüe de Houston located at 333 S. Jensen.Doors open at 7:30 and will feature the
“Tinteros” themselves. All the organizers will show off some of their best work
and answer questions from the audience about their work and the reading and let
folks know what the next show will look like and who will host. There will be
one intermission and an open-mic immediately following the poets. If you would
like more information about the Tintero Readings, please email Lupe at lupe@thepoetmendez.org or call 713.444.0269. If you would like more information on the
writing workshops at the Castillo Community Center, contact Marlon Lizama at marleyhk@gmail.com . Look for us on Facebook
too!